Minoans

The Minoans (2000-1450 BC) were a civilization of Greeks that flourished on the island of Crete in the Aegean Sea. Their cultural history is unknown, but they were a naval empire that had a great trading network. They were conquered by the Mycenaeans.

History
By 2000 BC Crete was home to the first complex European civilization with political and social structures, as well as advanced technologies. The civilization was named for the legendary king Minos, ho ruled a naval empire in the Aegean Sea that kept the monstrous Minotaur in a mazelike labyrinth built by Daedalus. Crete was home to many ships and skilled craftsmen, and the distribution of Cretan pottery and other artifacts testified to widespread trading connections. The ethnicity of the Minoans is uncertain, and their writing has not been deciphered. The absence of Cretan rulers' representations contradicts the grandiose depictions of Mesopotamian and Egyptian kings, and the absence of fortifications of palaces and presence of high-quality indoor plumbing is also strange. All of the palaces except Cnossus along with the houses of the elite and peasants in the countryside were destroyed by the Mycenaeans, who took over at Cnossus.